Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Final Thoughts

30 Movies (almost)

The month-long project is now at an end, with thirty topics about movies answered over thirty days. I have a few closing comments I wanted to share.

It was a lot of fun, which I think is the most important thing. At times I struggled to think of a definitive answer (and sometimes simply couldn’t), and I think a few them might not be as accurate as I’d like (like the greatest twist/surprise ending topic on day seven, for which I really need to watch a couple of other films, including Oldboy), but I’m fairly happy about pretty much every entry.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 30

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. This is the end now, and to finish off the thirty days the subject is:

Your favourite movie of all time

I’ve mentioned before that I find it difficult to pick favourites in general, more comfortable clustering a group of things together rather than declare one to be my outright favourite. For my favourite movie it boils down to just two, either American Beauty (which I’ve already covered in detail here explaining why I like it, with some comments about its soundtrack here) or a film which I’ve also briefly covered before here, and that film is:

Blade Runner

(Click the image for a link to the source)

Blade Runner was a film that originally passed me by, being released shortly before I was born and not having the same level of pop culture penetration to give me an awareness of it as a film I should watch. It was only two decades later that I saw it for sale on DVD and, knowing it was a good film, decided to buy it and see what it was like (the DVD was the original ‘Director’s Cut’ so I’ve never seen the theatrical version with the narration and happy ending).

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 29

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. Nearly done now, the penultimate subject is:

A movie from your childhood

I like that this topic isn’t so specific. It’s not about your favourite or most hated, just a movie from your childhood that you feel like talking about. That makes this subject a very easy one to pick a film for, and that film is:

Starchaser: The Legend of Orin

(Click the image for a link to the source)

Starchaser: The Legend of Orin is a blatant Star Wars rip-off, it really is. The young boy with an energy sword, the uncaring smuggler with a ship who is caught up in the boy’s events, the bold governor’s daughter (not quite a princess), the big bad who’s not wholly human and lots of droids and laser gun battles. I’m guessing it wasn’t a very successful rip-off as it has never been released on DVD in the UK, meaning that when I was looking to buy it a few years back I had to buy a region one version. I actually liked it more than Star Wars during my youth, watching it again and again.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 28

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the twenty-eighth day is:

Favourite movie from your favorite director

Unfortunately this is going to have to go the same way as the favourite actor/actress topic:

?

Just like that topic there are a lot of directors I like, but not any that I can outright say are my favourites. So once again it’s list time:

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 27

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the twenty-seventh day is:

A movie that you wish you had seen in theaters

I think this is only going to be a short topic because there’s not that much to say on it. Assuming the cinema isn’t filled with people chatting, children crying or noisy food being consumed it can be a very immersive experience, sat in a dark room before a giant picture, the rest of the world tuned out. I don’t think there’s much to say about it though so I’ll rattle off a couple of films:

No one film here, so have a picture of an empty cinema instead.

(Click the image for a link to the source)

For me this is mostly going to be about science fiction, films with unique (and often beautiful) visuals that would have looked fantastic on the big screen. That means things like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Sunshine and WALL-E, all visually strong films, the first two released before I was born and the latter being ones that I didn’t make it to the cinema to see. Serenity is another one, both because it would have looked good on a cinema screen and because I would have liked to have been able to support it, not able to do so because I hadn’t seen the series and had no awareness of it until after the film had disappeared from cinemas and the UK’s Sci-Fi channel started showing it again.

There are other great films that I’m not so sure about (such as Alien, Aliens, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Dark Knight), films that don’t have the same sort of visuals but might have been enhanced by cinema viewing. I’m not sure because I don’t think viewing a film at the cinema automatically makes the experience better, which is partly the problem cinemas have faced lately, justifying the trip and expense. The films above are ones that I’m pretty sure could have benefited, but even then I don’t think I missed out on too much. Essentially the biggest draw for me to see a film at the cinema is just because they release there before anywhere else, and these days seeing a film as soon as possible just isn’t that big a concern for me.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 26

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the twenty-sixth day is:

A movie that you love but everyone else hates

I wasn’t entirely sure what to cover here. I don’t know anybody locally who enjoys Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but that’s not a common opinion as the film received very positive reviews. While it’s very different to the book I really enjoyed What Dreams May Come even though a lot of people didn’t (but not enough to be a film ‘everyone else’ hates). I’ve mentioned before how I liked Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest when a lot of people were disappointed with it, so for this entry I think I’ll choose another disliked middle film in a trilogy:

The Matrix Reloaded

(No source, this is a screengrab from the DVD)

For me the original film in the trilogy (before there was talk of a trilogy), The Matrix, was a good film that I promptly forgot about, and it was only when the sequels were revealed that I thought about it again. Much like the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy neither sequel is thought of too fondly but, also like the Pirates trilogy, I have a lot of love for the second instalment while being very disappointed in the third.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 25

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. With just five more to go, the subject for the twenty-fifth day is:

The most hilarious movie you’ve ever seen

I don’t recall off-hand the last time I watched a recent comedy film that I really enjoyed. Maybe Team America: World Police would be the most recent, and I quite liked the original Death at a Funeral farce. When it comes to most hilarious though I think it would either be one of the Monty Python films or:

Airplane!

(No source, this is a screengrab from the DVD)

One of the saddest things about watching Airplane is how much better a spoof it is than the ones being made these days, especially the woeful <GENRE> Movie series that try and get by just referencing other films (or even reality shows) regardless of how they fit the genre they’re supposed to be spoofing, and not even making a joke about it so much as just referencing. It’s basically humour built around the writers saying, “Hey, remember this?” and thinking that qualifies as a joke, and as a result they’re awful and will inevitably date very quickly.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 23

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the twenty-third day is:

Favourite animation

When it comes to the top tier of animation films there are really only two studios competing, Pixar and Studio Ghibli, and for me those two are ahead of classic Disney and the other big animation movies (although films like The Lion King and The Land Before Time are excellent). Both studios already have one entry so far in this project, with Pixar’s Up making an appearance on day one and Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies on day four, each ahead of live action films in their respective categories. When it comes to absolute favourite I think I have to go with:

WALL-E

(Click the image for a link to the source)

WALL-E is pretty unusual for a blockbuster movie release, even for a studio like Pixar that always comes up with unusual scenarios for its films. WALL-E himself has an incredibly limited vocabulary, only able to manage a few words, and so does EVE, the other main character of the film. Most of the start of the film has almost no dialogue and Pixar really shines there, telling their story and plenty of jokes without words. Even when proper speaking characters are introduced it’s still WALL-E and EVE who carry the film and do so wonderfully.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 22

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the twenty-second day is:

Favourite documentary

I’ve not watched many documentaries that get a big cinema release, with most being ‘smaller’ TV documentaries. I have watched a few of the big ones though like Bowling For Columbine and Supersize Me, and my favourite one is:

Man on Wire

(Click the image for a link to the source)

It’s a documentary covering Phillipe Petit’s attempt to walk across a wire between the two buildings of the World Trade Centre in 1974, without getting permission to do so. It’s deliberately filmed like a heist movie, with re-enactments of key moments in addition to actual photos and footage from the team, as well as their personal comments in interviews.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 21

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the twenty-first day is:

Favourite action movie

I’m not sure why action movies get their own topic in the list when pretty much no other genre does, but that’s just the way the list goes. As soon as I saw the topic I immediately thought of one film as the obvious choice and that’s what I’ll go with. It wasn’t long before a few other worthy choices came to mind, but I’m going to stick with that first instinct and choose:

Die Hard

(Click the image for a link to the source)

Die Hard has a simple premise. New York cop John McClane comes to Los Angeles to try and salvage his marriage, and while at her office’s Christmas party in the giant Nakatomi building terrorists storm in and take everybody except McClane hostage. With no real support (save for friendly cop Al on the radio) McClane has to try and stop the terrorists and keep his wife safe.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 20

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. We’re two thirds of the way in now and the subject for the twentieth day is:

Favourite movie from your favorite actor/actress

I’m not great at picking out favourites. It’s partly why I try not to overthink the game of the year posts, instead going on my immediate reaction to the question of whether a new entry is better or worse than the other games in the list, otherwise I’d be going back and forth all day. What that means for this topic is that I’m going to have to wheel out the question mark again:

?

Trying to work out who my favourite actor/actress is and then narrow them down to one performance is too much, so I’m just going to list all those who come to mind:

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 19

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the nineteenth day is:

Favourite movie based on a book/comic/etc.

I’m assuming the ‘etc.’ gives me a fairly wide range here to cover a movie adapted from any other source material, which would cover Pirates of the Caribbean for being adapted from the theme park ride, maybe Serenity for being adapated from a TV show (though that seems like a bit of a cheat), and superhero movies (with things like Batman Begins or The Dark Knight being at the top) count even if they’re not directly adapted from a specific comic. Jurassic Park is a good adaptation of the book despite the changes it makes (especially when you look at what they did with the sequel) but the obvious choice here is:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

(Click the image for a link to the source)

While they’re not flawless adaptations (even at three hours a film a lot of content needed cutting and Peter Jackson had to change a few things) each entry in the trilogy is a great fantasy epic, something which blockbuster movies don’t tackle very often. I’m a big fan of fantasy and would love to see it done well more often, and the Lord of the Rings films are a great example of that, even if the huge budget makes it a very special case that isn’t really going to be repeated for almost any other fantasy film.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 18

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the eighteenth day is:

A movie that you wish more people would’ve seen

There are a bunch of films I’ve already mentioned so far in this project that I would have liked more people to have seen. If Sunshine had been a success then maybe more directors would be trying their hand at the sort of sci-fi I love (as well as maybe convinced Danny Boyle to stick with the genre), and the same for The Fountain (though I think Darren Aronofsky will continue making his kind of films regardless of success). Even Blade Runner wasn’t much of a commercial or critical success initially and seemingly chased Ridley Scott out of science fiction for about thirty years (until the upcoming Alien prequel). Then there’s Serenity, which had it been a major success would have at least given us a few Firefly movies, if not led to a full-on revival of the series.

With all of those films having already been covered on the blog though I’ll choose something else for this entry:

In Bruges

(Click the image for a link to the source)

In Bruges completely passed me by when it released and it was only in The Guardian’s end of year highlights that I was even aware of it and decided to give it a look. I’m glad I did because it really is a great film.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 17

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. The subject for the seventeenth day is:

A movie that disappointed you the most

One film immediately came to mind for this one as an ideal example, but I’ve subsequently thought of something else that is at least as relevant that I also want to cover here. That means this will be a double entry, kicking off with the one I thought of first:

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End

(Click the image for a link to the source)

The first film in the series, Curse of the Black Pearl, was a real surprise. Pirate films haven’t exactly been much of a success for some time but the film was fun, had a great cast (with Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa being the highlights), and a lot of great moments (such as Jack’s initial entrance on a sinking ship). It told an entertaining story of cursed pirate gold and betrayal and was a great film, so expanding it into a trilogy didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Then came Dead Man’s Chest, and like most sequels it threw in a few more storylines to keep track of. With Barbossa defeated in the first film it added two new villains, Davy Jones (who ferries those lost at sea into the afterlife after offering them the chance to join his crew) and the East India Company’s Cutler Beckett. Jack needs to find Jones’ heart (stored in the titular chest) to force Jones to call off the kraken that’s been sent after him, Beckett wants the heart to control Jones and the kraken to give him control over the entire sea and wipe out all pirates, and Will wants the heart to stab it and free his father from Jones’ service. There are a lot of threads running concurrently and there are some action sequences (the island tribe and the lengthy sword fight) that go on a bit too long but I still liked the film, which was a lot of fun and managed to further develop its characters and give them some great moments.

Then came At World’s End. One of the strangest things about the film is that it was filmed back-to-back with Dead Man’s Chest but doesn’t in any way feel like it, coming across more as a sequel that the writers tried to shoe-horn onto a predecessor that wasn’t set up for it.

Film: 30 Movies in 30 Days: Day 16

This post is part of a month-long project, answering thirty topics about movies over thirty days. Passing the halfway mark, the subject for the sixteenth day is:

A movie that you used to love but now hate

As I mentioned the last time ‘hate’ came up I find the term a little strong to apply to a film, especially if we’re talking going from loving something down to actually hating it. However, a movie I used to like but now somewhat dislike is:

King Kong

(Click the image for a link to the source)

After first watching King Kong and coming out of the cinema I was convinced that Peter Jackson had managed it again, making a great film filled with spectacular effects and action and telling a good story. When I watched it again a couple of years later the most noticeable thing was that it was very, very long.